Children's Home run by Budwood Limited in Dorset

Inspection report for children's home: 2620261 1 Registered provider: Budwood Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to two children who may have needs associated with loss, trauma and abuse.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the registered manager was on a period of absence. The area manager and responsible individual supported the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2620261 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/10/2022 Full Good 27/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2620261 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in the home benefit from highly nurturing relationships and personalised care from a consistent and stable staff team. While the children do not spend time with each other, staff work well together to create a family around the children and the home is run like a family home. Children’s voices are captured in a newly revised care plan that brings their personalities to life and clearly identifies their needs, the progress they are making and who is helping them to achieve their goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use creative, child-centred direct work to help children understand their emotions, childhood experiences and birth-family situations, particularly when there are changes they may find hard to understand. Staff help children to make sense of their past, including who they have lived with, when and where. For one child, taking them to visit their previous home was especially powerful in helping them to understand this time in their life, and how much progress they have made since. The child’s self-confidence and self-esteem have blossomed over the last year.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend quality time with children enjoying days out, holidays and individualised activities. Staff also support children with day-to-day activities, like taking them to meet their friends, cooking, going shopping or watching their favourites films on television together. Special events and memories are captured in photo books for children to keep and to look back on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When approaching adulthood, children are well prepared to successfully move on to independent living. Endings are well planned and positive. When children move out, staff continue to provide them with appropriate emotional and practical support that helps them to settle and adjust to their new adult living arrangements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children also move into the home in a planned way, and they are helped to understand routines and boundaries. The children’s guide provides them with helpful information to understand what it is like to live in the home. The needs of other children living in the home are appropriately considered by managers to ensure children are well suited to living with each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to stay healthy and their physical and emotional health needs are understood well by staff. Children are encouraged to eat healthy foods. Staff consistently talk to them about the importance of eating regularly and encourage them to eat with staff, to help mitigate any concerns around their diet. While children mostly attend routine and specialist health appointments, staff have not been successful in getting one child to attend the dentist for a routine check-up. Managers are aware and are working to try and achieve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff persistently encourage children to attend education and to pursue their academic goals. One child receives a part-time education package and staff provide additional Inspection report for children's home: 2620261 4 education activities and workbooks to bolster the child’s learning opportunities. Staff have had some limited success in helping one child to achieve healthier routines and in attending school. The responsible individual and area manager acknowledge that education is a key priority and protective factor for both children. The children are moving towards an important period, with one child changing education provision and one child entering an important academic year. They understand the importance of establishing healthy routines and regular attendance and the need to push for an increased education package for one child so they can achieve their potential.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children feel safe in the home and are safeguarded. Both children are highly vulnerable and have significant and complex emotional and behavioural needs. The registered manager and staff hold regular conversations and key-worker sessions with children to help them understand their needs and the seriousness of any concerns for them. They provide children with high levels of support, advice and guidance.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Comprehensive behaviour support plans and risk assessments are in place and regularly reviewed. These help staff to understand the children’s needs and how to respond to children in a way that will help them most. Many situations are calmed quickly by staff before they escalate. There are very few safeguarding incidents in the home. When these do happen, children are helped to repair their relationships with staff quickly. The registered manager has robust oversight of all incidents and spends meaningful time with children afterwards, to explore their feelings and to identify what will help to prevent such an incident happening again.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

One child is highly vulnerable and at risk of harm outside of the home, and from substance misuse. Risk assessments are detailed and help staff to understand the seriousness of the concerns and clearly set out what action they need to take to help safeguard the child. The registered manager and area manager are working proactively with relevant professionals on progressing a multi-agency plan to reduce risk. The child’s bedroom is regularly monitored by staff, and illicit substances and paraphernalia are removed when found.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff try and spend meaningful time with the child to build trust, and they are diverting the child into meaningful activities and positive friendships. Despite the efforts of staff, progress is slow. Some safeguarding actions are at an early stage and are not yet making a significant impact in reducing risk. Episodes of the child going missing are increasing, and the child is frequently late home. While staff consistently follow the missing-from-home protocol and take decisive action to escalate their concerns at these times, they do not always go out to collect the child at the earliest opportunity to reduce the time the child spends getting home late at night. The responsible individual and area manager said they will review this immediately. Inspection report for children's home: 2620261 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is calm and comfortable, like a family home, and is furnished to a high standard. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and they enjoy spending time in their rooms relaxing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good oversight of the children’s care and the day-to-day management of the home. Children and staff speak highly of the registered manager’s open approach and high level of support. Over the last 12 months, the registered manager has made positive progress in achieving the actions set out in the home’s improvement plan and they are making effective use of the learning from internal auditing and recommendations made by the independent visitor.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

More recently, the area manager and responsible individual have stepped in to provide hands-on support during periods when the registered manager has been away from the home. They have an extensive knowledge of the children’s needs and of the home’s strengths and areas for development. They are a stable presence, and they are managing the impact of the registered manager’s absences well for children and staff. The responsible individual and area manager have identified the need to focus on helping staff to further develop their professional curiosity and to better evaluate missing-from-home episodes to help inform one child’s care plan. Plans are in place to progress this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they enjoy working in the home and that communication is much improved. They feel valued and listened to by managers and describe a culture of openness and high regard for each other. They have confidence in managers to address any issues that they raise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from an extensive range of relevant training, including training specific to the children’s needs. New staff are supported well during their induction and experienced staff are given the time they need to develop in their role and work towards their qualifications. Staff supervision is mostly regular and of good quality. Team meetings are well balanced and focus on the children’s needs, staff practice and the day-to-day running of the home. Reflective practice sessions continue to help staff to explore the children’s underlying needs and how to interpret behaviours, so they can meet the children’s needs effectively and consistently as a staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are highly committed to providing children with the best possible care. Their warm, caring approach and dedication to the children’s safety, well-being and development are strengths of the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2620261 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff meet the children’s basic needs in the way a good parent would. This particularly relates to ensuring that children are supported to engage in a healthy routine and regularly attend education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should review the missing-from-home protocol and ensure that staff take every action required to ensure children’s swift return when they are late home at night. This should include going out to collect the child whenever possible. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.24 and 9.28)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children's home: 2620261 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 4AD

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Inspector

Kendra Bell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2620261 8 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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